Apparatus for baking



p 937 E. o. ENGELS ET AL 2,092,836

APPARATUS FOR BAKING Filed July 27, 1934 [mm W HHM BECK.

IZVVEIVTORJ TTOR NE Y Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,092,836 r APPARATUS FOR BAKING Eugene Oscar Engels and Emil W.

Saginaw, Mich, ments, to Baker PATENT OFFICE Plambeck,

assignors, by mesne assign- Perkins Co. Inc., Saginaw,

Mich a corporation of New York Application July 2'7, 1934, Serial No. 737,194

7 Claims.

7 This invention relatestoa method of and,

apparatus for continuously baking, and pertains particularly to the baking of certain types of baked goods, such as French bread, rye bread and buns, pretzels and certainvarieties of pastries coated with an edible granular coating and,

ically coat the bottom of the goods with a coating material, and furthermore, it has been extremely difiicult to produce a uniform color over the surface of the goods. It has been customary heretofore to coat the goods by conveying them through a curtain or shower of coating material; consequently, only the top portion of the goods was coated with the coating material.

Heretofore when the goods were delivered to the hearth of a continuously traveling oven the flash heat of contact between the hearth and the goods would'scorch the side next to the hearth because of the temperaturedilference between radiated or reflected heat and the direct heat of contact. Attempts to regulate the heat of the oven to secure a uniform colorover the entire surface of the goods have heretofore proved futile. ,If the heat was adjusted to give the proper color to the side of the goods next to the baking plates, the top surface would be too pale, and any attempts to bring out the proper color on the top side of the goods would producea blackened area beneath the goods Where they touched the hot baking hearth. To overcome this difilculty, attempts have been made to bake the goods on wire mats, rods, etc., but wherever the goods touched the wire mesh and the rods, the flash heat of contact would burn dark spots.

The present invention relates method and apparatus for overcoming the above objections, and it is therefore our object to provide a method of and apparatus for continuously baking food productswhich consists in covering the traveling hearth of a continuous baking oven with a layer of granular coating material, continuously depositing a layer of granular coating material on the'top surface of the goods and then depositingthepartiallycoated goods uponthelayer ofcoating material on the travelingbakinghearth,

to a simple thereby supporting the goods on the coating material and preventing the flash heat of connection from scorching the bottoms of the goods. The only pointof contact between the hot baking plates and the goods is through the coating material, and as the point is so minute, the balance of the surface of the goods is baked by radiant heat. In most instances the coating material acts as an insulation, therefore, the goods are of uniform color over their entire surface; furthermore, any spots which may be scorched 'by-the flash heat of contact between the coating material and the goods, are at the point where the coating material adheres to the goods'and are thus hidden.

With these and Our invention comprises the usual traveling oven (I) having a series of baking plates (2) supported by rollers (3) traveling over theusual track (4) and drive sprocket (5).

Extending across the feedendof the'oven is the usual feeding device, which maybe of any type, but as shown in the drawing may consist of a feeding belt 6) comprising a continuous run of upper and lower laps'of wire mesh supportediby upper and lower supporting plates (1 and 8). The feed end of the belt travels over a roller or ,4 bar (9), appropriately supported ,above.the ,b .ak ing hearth. The opposite end of the feeding belt is driven by a shaft (III) which in turn is rotated by a drive sprocket (I l driven by. the oven driving mechanism (I2), or if preferred, by an individual drive.

The goods are delivered to the feeding device in any known manner, such as depositing them by hand or automatically from the conveyorsof forming machines. The goods are then passed,-

beneath a sifter (B) or other device for feeding the granular coating material.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the sifter (l3) feeds slightly more material than is necessary to coat the goods. Such material which does not adhere to the moist surface of the goods falls through the mesh of the wire conveyor ('6) onto the upper supporting plate (1) and. is thus conveyed in the interstices between the meshes to the end of the top supporting plate (1), from whence it is delivered to the forwardly projecting end (l4) io'fthe 'lower conveyor supporting plate (8). .Ihe granular coating material is caught in the meshesof the returnlap of the feeding conveyor and is then conveyed rearwardly by the intersticesover the top of the lower supporting plate (8). I

At an appropriate distance from the end 14') of the lower supporting plate there are provided a series of perforations (I5) of a size suffioient to allow the correct arnountof coating material to pass through. 'Thewire-mesh conveyor carrying in-its interstices the particleso'f coating material, deposits through these perforationsili) just sufficient coating material to cover the baking plates. Then, when the goods are deposited from the delivery end of the feeding conveyor they will be entirely supported uponthe granular coating material and passed through the -'oven {for baking. Any excess material which is not delivered through the holes (l5) inthe lower plate (8) is returned to the end of the oven and depositedin a receptacle (It) provided for the surplus material;

Figure 4 is a modified form of construction which comprises the usual delivery belt (60.) ,but instead of depositing the material through-holes in the lower supporting plate, the coating m ate- -rial is returnedto a sifting device (l1) located beneath the rear end of the lower supporting =plate (8a) and spread upon the baking plates by the'usual mechanically agitated sifter. Conceivably, insteado'fthelow'erplate returning the-sur- Accordingto plus material to the sifting device, the sifting device could beffed from an independent source :of coating materiaLthe surplus "from the upper plate being returned toacatch receptacle. Such an arrangement'is applicable for pastri'es'which .may be coatedon top with one colored sugar and on'the'bottom with a different colored sugar, or for French and rye breads wherethe top'of the float may be coated with poppy or caraway seeds,

and the bottom is coated'with cornmeal.

Figure 5 is a further modified form of our invention, used where itis desired "to coat only the bottoms .of .certain .types of bread and pastries.

In the device shown in Figure 5, the :usual :rnechanical sifter (l'lb) depositsthe coating material'on the baking hearth, and the goods-are deposited on the coatingmaterialon the baking hearth by the usual feeding conveyoron panner bladeifib). r

themodifiedform of construction shown in ,Figure 6, the feeding conveyor (60) issupported only on plate ('10). "In .this construction, perforations (I50) are provided in the supporting plate (10) adjacent to thehopperor spout ('l3c) of the granular ooatingmaterial distributor. The surplus coating material which does not adhereto the food products fallsthrough the perforations (15c) onto the baKing'hearth (2). Such coating material -wihich is not deposited through the perforations (I50) is carried in the interstices .and by supporting the 'ucts to said hearth,

its upper runby a supporting nets are supported on ing the baking process. 7

of the conveyor and deposited onto the baking hearth over the end (l8) of the supporting plate, thus providing a layer of coating material on the hearth to support the food products during the baking process.

By the above described means we have invented .a .simpleautomatic device for coating and baking certain types of baked-goods which will insure a uniform coating of granular material, goods on a layer of the coating material, will insure a uniform color over the entire area by baking entirely by radiateg heat.

While we have shown and described several illustrative forms of our invention, it is understood that certain 'changes, modifications and. substitutions of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an oven having a traveling baking hearth, a feeder for feeding "food prod"- ucts to said hearth, said feeder comprising'a continuous foraminous conveyor, supporting plates beneath the upper and return runs of said conveyor, sifting means for depositing granular coating material on the fo'o'd products' carried'bythe upper run of said foraminous conveyor, the surplus coating material'being col lected-in the interstices'of said foraminous conveyor on the upper supportingplate and delivered by the intersticesto the supporting plate beneath the'lower run of the foraminous conveyor, and means associated with'the said lower supporting plate 'fohdepositingthe'coating'material on the baking hearth whereby the food products are supported by the coating material during the baking process.

'2. In combination, an oven having a traveling baking'hearth, a'feeder for feeding food prodnets to said hearth, said feeder comprising a continuous foraminous conveyor, a supporting plate beneath one run. of saidconveyor, depositing means for depositing granular coating material onthe food products carried by the upper run of said foraminous conveyor, the surplus coating material'bein'g collected in the interstices of said foraminous :conv'eyor on thv supporting plate, and independent means associated with the said supporting plate for uniformly depositing the coating material on the baking hearth whereby thefood products are supported entire- -'ly on=coating material during the baking process.

3. In combination, an oven having a traveling baking'ihearth, a feeder 'for'feeding food prodsaid feeder comprising a continuous foraminous conveyor, a supporting plate beneath one run of said conveyor, said supporting plate having perforations therein, depositing means for depositing granular coating material on the food products carried by the upper run of said foraminous conveyor, the surplus coating material being carried by the interstices of said foraminous conveyor on the supporting plate and deposited through the said perforations onto the baking hearth whereby the 'food prodthe coating material dur- 4. 'In combination, an oven having a traveling hearth, a feeder for feeding food products to said hearth, depositing means for depositing granular coating material on said food products and means independent of said depositing 'means,'for uniformly depositing granular coating material on said hearth whereby the food products are positively supported by the granular coating material on said hearth during the baking process.

'5. In a salting mechanism for pretzel forms, a reticulated conveyor having upper and lower flights, a salt hopper above the conveyor and having an outlet member provided with an outlet portion to discharge salt onto pretzel forms carried by the conveyor, a plate immediately below the upper flight of the conveyor in supporting relation thereto and being in the path of descent of salt, and a supporting member beneath the lower flight of the conveyor in receptive relation to salt discharged from said plate to receive the salt therefrom and being provided with a plurality of passages for salt to feed salt to a pretzel support.

6. In a mechanism for speckling food with granular material, a conveyor for food and having reticulations for the free passage of granular material, a feeding unit for granular material and having an outlet in feeding relation to the food on said conveyor, a rebound member in the path of flight of said granular material and having means to deflect the flight of such material into contact with the food, and a plate in receptive relation to granular material discharged from said-rebound member and having means to feed such granular material to a moving oven hearth.

7. In a mechanism for coating food forms on both sides thereof, a conveyor for food forms and having food receiving and discharge portions, a feeding unit for granular material in feeding relation to said conveyor and to the upper sides of the food forms thereon, a second conveyor in receptive relation to the discharge portion of said first-named conveyor to receive food forms therefrom, and a member associated with said first-named conveyor and being in receptive relation to coating material from said conveyor, said member having means associated therewith to furnish coating material to said second conveyor at a point rearward of the discharge portion of the first conveyor with reference to the line of travel of the second conveyor so that when the food forms are transferred from the first to the second conveyor, the same will i be deposited on a previously coated portion of the second conveyor and thus coated on the under side thereof.

EUGENE OSCAR ENGELS. EMIL W. PLANEBECK. 

